10
Dec
2014
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Category: Lost & Found / Taste it Again
Click here to read the original review
(October 12, 2014) ... Nose showed off meaty and earthy notes that any forestry worker would fine familiar; palate proved that it still had complexity: smoky, peppery, dried raspberries, a nice hint of spiciness but always with that forest floor nuance lingering in the background - acidity appeared to be waning but the wine was still quite nice; drink this one up soon, like this holiday season.
08
Dec
2014
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Category: Lost & Found / Taste it Again
Click here to read the original review from June 2010
(Re-Tasted September 28, 2014) ... To me Cattail has some of the most under-used fruit of any winery in Niagara. They are growers first and foremost, but they have been growers since 1956 and thus have some really cool old vines fruit to partake of. They also have quite a large vineyard, so the idea of single block wines should be something they look at every year ... I cross my fingers that the new, more passionate, wine making team at the Cat will see to it to utilize the fruit better. My (finger) tips to god's eyes (to paraphrase an old saying).
Nothing illustrates my above thoughts more clearly than the Collaboration Series of Rieslings they produced back in 2009 ... Four wines, three seperated clones and one blend, to show the difference each clone makes in the wine. These wines were sold in very limited supply and used in many a training session to educate both the consumer and the industry ... And kudos to Cattail for being so forthcoming with these wines. But today I pulled out one of the last two bottles I have from this project (both just happen to be the blend). Now 5 years from vintage this wine has developed lemon, peach and petrol notes on the nose. Palate shows that the acidity has stood up well over time, not surprising, as the hallmark of the '09 vintage was racy acidity. The finish is dry with quite a bit of length along with some lemon pith notes and a lovely sense of minerality that Riesling gets with vine age. The only sign that there was some age on this bottle was that slight petrol note ... And it is very slight. Knowing that Cattail Creek can make small batch wine like this makes me wish they would do it more often - again, my tips to god's eyes - say it enough times and maybe ...
